<big><font color="000000"><b>Five things Washington needs to do to beat Oregon State</b>
<br/>Three straight losses have the UW football team reeling. After showing so much promise in the first half of the season, the UW defense looked like Nick Holt was back on the sidelines against Arizona last week. Criticism of the offense continues to mount after another lackluster performance from quarterback Keith Price.
As the Huskies return home to face No. 7 Oregon State on Saturday, they face a must-win game to keep their season spiraling out of control. The UW needs this win and here are five ways they can get it.
Kick-off is scheduled for 7:15 PDT and the game will be televised on the Pac-12 Networks.</font></big>
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<big><font color="000000"><b>Five things Washington needs to do to beat Oregon State</b>
<br/>Three straight losses have the UW football team reeling. After showing so much promise in the first half of the ... more

Photo: Otto Greule Jr / Getty Images

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<big><font color="000000"><b>Protect the football</b>
<br/>Keith Price has been a turnover machine in the UW’s three-game losing streak. The junior quarterback has committed 10 turnovers (six interceptions and four fumbles) in the three losses against Oregon, USC and Arizona while only throwing three touchdowns. But it’s not just any defense Price is matching up against Saturday; it’s the opportunistic defense of the Beavers.
The Beavers lead the Pac-12 in turnover margin (plus-10) and are ninth in the nation, only giving up the ball six times while taking it away 16 times. Over the last 105 games, OSU is 41-8 when committing fewer turnovers than its opponent, 10-29 when committing more and 10-7 when the takeaways are even. Forcing turnovers is OSU’s bread and butter, so to win, Price and the UW offense have to take care of the football to even have a chance to knock the Beavers off.</font></big>
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<big><font color="000000"><b>Protect the football</b>
<br/>Keith Price has been a turnover machine in the UW’s three-game losing streak. The junior quarterback has committed 10 turnovers (six interceptions ... more

Photo: Elaine Thompson / ASSOCIATED PRESS

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<big><font color="000000"><b>Dial up the pressure</b>
<br/>After sitting out for two games while he recovered from arthroscopic surgery on his knee, quarterback Sean Mannion now returns to take over the Beaver offense. The sophomore gunslinger has pinpoint accuracy and a laser of an arm, but his footwork is not on the same level. It’s actually not even close to the same level.
Through four games, Mannion threw for 339.5 yards per game and seven total touchdowns. But he averaged minus-15.2 rushing yards a game. To win, the UW needs to get its conference-worst pass rush in shape (the UW only has nine sacks this season) and dare Mannion to make a play with his legs. The Huskies need to put Mannion under suffocating pressure Saturday to not only test that surgically repaired knee, but to also limit what he can do through the air.</font></big>
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<big><font color="000000"><b>Dial up the pressure</b>
<br/>After sitting out for two games while he recovered from arthroscopic surgery on his knee, quarterback Sean Mannion now returns to take over the ... more

Photo: Otto Greule Jr / Getty Images

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<big><font color="000000"><b>Play sound defense</b>
<br/>Wide receivers Markus Wheaton and Brandin Cooks are dangerous, explosive and fast. Completely shutting down both parts of the nation’s second-best pass-catching pair in the nation (behind West Virginia’s Stedman Bailey and Tavon Austin) will be no easy task for a secondary that was just ripped to shreds by Arizona’s blistering no-huddle offense.
But here’s the thing: The Huskies don’t have to completely blanket Cooks and Wheaton. Just settling for the figurative infield single instead of swinging and missing for the home run will be enough to keep the Huskies alive. OSU runs a traditional offense more akin to Stanford's than Arizona's, but it's still absolutely vital that the Huskies stick to their fundamentals and limit yards after the catch. If the Huskies make the same defensive mistakes they did last week, Cooks and Wheaton are going to make them pay. </font></big>
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<big><font color="000000"><b>Move the ball</b>
<br/>Sports in their simplest form boil down to this: If a team scores more points, it wins. It’s easy. In football, the offense usually scores the points; the offense is led by the quarterback. But the UW’s quarterback isn’t even close to resembling the guy who almost outdueled Heisman winner and current NFL sensation Robert Griffin III in last year’s Alamo Bowl. Thus the UW’s offense has been a shadow of what it was last season.
Seven games into the season, the UW’s offensive problem is an old one. Price is struggling for one reason or another, whether he’s running for his life behind a patchwork offensive line or watching his throw fall into the hands of a defender. If the Huskies want to win this game against the Beavers or any others for that matter, Price needs to find the 2011, record-setting, laser-accurate passer Husky fans grew to expect and move the football down the field and score touchdowns.</font></big>
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<big><font color="000000"><b>Move the ball</b>
<br/>Sports in their simplest form boil down to this: If a team scores more points, it wins. It’s easy. In football, the offense usually scores the points; the ... more

Photo: Otto Greule Jr / Getty Images

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<big><font color="000000"><b>Finish</b>
<br/>A main mantra of the Sarkisian era has been to finish. When it comes to playing the Beavers, finishing strong is especially relevant because the Beavers aren’t a team that’s going to blow anyone out of the water. If the Huskies can hang tough, there is a good chance they’ll be within striking distance going into the fourth quarter because OSU has a margin of victory that is just shy of 10 points (26.2 to 16.5).
So many times, teams run out of gas before the clock shows triple-zeros, but if the UW can stay close and then put its definitive stamp on the game in the final quarter, Husky fans could be looking at another top-10 upset at home.
However, OSU has allowed just six fourth-quarter points in its last three games. The Huskies will have to figure out a way to break through the Beavers’ fourth-quarter dam to put this game away.</font></big>
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<big><font color="000000"><b>Finish</b>
<br/>A main mantra of the Sarkisian era has been to finish. When it comes to playing the Beavers, finishing strong is especially relevant because the Beavers aren’t a ... more